Saint Who?
Saints Who Were Missionaries
Saint Gonsalo Garcia
Religious and martyr († 1597) Feast: February 6
Just a few years after the death of Saint Francis Xavier, Gonsalo was born in India. His father was Portuguese, and his mother was a native of India who had converted to Catholicism. Gonsalo was educated at a Jesuit school, and in his early twenties, he went to Japan with a group of Jesuit missionaries.
Gonsalo learned the Japanese language quickly. He had a friendly disposition and taught children as a lay catechist for several years. He then moved and became a successful merchant. During his business trips to the Philippines, he encountered the Franciscan order and decided to join it as a religious brother. Later, he returned to Japan with a Spanish delegation.
Gonsalo’s knowledge of the Japanese language and culture made him an effective missionary, and many Japanese became interested in the Catholic faith. However, after a Spanish ship captain publicly boasted about the power and influence of the Spanish king, the leader of the Japanese furiously ordered all Christian missionaries to be arrested and executed. Gonsalo was crucified along with six other foreign missionaries, seventeen Japanese who had become Franciscan tertiaries, and three Japanese Jesuits in Nagasaki on February 5, 1597.
Holy Spirit, conquer the barriers of language
that deter us from sharing the Gospel with others.
